Michael kennedy



(No Model.)

MI 3 Sheets Sheet 1.

AUTOMATIC GAR GOUPLING. Y No. 285,906.. Patented oct. 2, 188e.

@ MQW/ www@ N. PETERS. Phoxumugnpner. wnshmgmn. D. c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. KENNEDY.

AUTOMATIC GAB GOUPLING. No. 285,906. Patented 001;. 2, 1883.

W z'nesses: Inventum' (No Modem MKENNEDY.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

AUTOMATIC GAR GOUPLING.

W ibnesses:

Patented 001;. 2, 1883.

Inventor:

f? WWW NiTEo L [STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 285,906, dated October 2, 1883.

` Application filed March 5, 1883. (No mdel.)

To all whom, itntag/ concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL KENNEDY, of the city of Troy, county of Rensselaer', and State ,of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Car-Couplings, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to mechanism for actuating the ordinary pin and link used to connect cars; and the object of my invention and improvement is to actuate them to connect automatically and tooperate them to `disconnect without necessitating the passage between the cars of the person operating them.

My invention consists, as will hereinafter be more fully described, in the eombination,with the draw-head of the car, of ,a vertical latchpin and connected offset coupling-pin carrier, by which, as the latch-pin is moved upwardly, the coupling-pin is also moved upwardly from out of and so as to disconnect the coupler-link, a horizontal sliding latch-plate arranged to work in a guideway in the draw-head, and being1 slotted for the passage of thelatch-pin,and constructed with a vertical guideway for the coupler-pin, a spring attached to said latchplate, which forces the slotted edge of the latter to engage with a notch in the Vertical latchpin when the latter is raised, to hold it and the coupling-pin carrier and the coupling-pin up, and a vertical front end to the latch-plate constructed to engage with the end of the entering link, and by which the latch-plate is forced back against the spring to `release the latch pin carrier and coupler -pin, so that they Will fall by gravity and the coupler-pin enter the link to hold the latter and connect the cars.

My invention also consists, as will hereinaf ter be described, in the connected levers, as constructed and arranged upon the ear ends, to be operated from the top and end of the car to raise the coupling-pin carrier and couplingpin, so as to disconnect the cars.

Accompanying this speciiieation, and forming a part of it, there are three plates of drawings, containing five figures,illustratin g my invention and the parts of a car with wliichlmy invention connects, and in all of which the same designation of parts by letter reference is used.

Figure l represents a longitudinal vertical section taken centrally through the mechanism and the parts of a car with which the latter connects, with the latch-pin and couplingpin carrier shown as raised and the car disconnected. Fig. 2 represents the same illustration of parts shown at Fig. l, with the pin and link connected. Fig. 3 illustrates in perspective the under side of the car as turned toward the right and the mechanism there attached to operate the latch-pin and connected coupling-pin carrier. Fig. 4t shows anV end View of the car in perspective and a connected means for operating the coupler mechanism from the top of the car and side at the end. Fig. 5 represents in perspective the sliding latch-plate, shown as removed from the drawhead.

All the parts of the coupler mechanism are shown as exaggerated in size when compared With the parts of a car with which they eonnect, to better illustrate them.

The several parts of the apparatus constituting my invention and the parts of a car with which the former connectare designated by letter reference, and their operation is explained as follows: A

The letter C indicates the end of the car, and C2 its under side, near the end.

D designates the draw head, and DZ its hooded abutting end, with the hood shown as constructed to taper inwardly and upwardly from the outer edge of the bottom, as indicated at d.

The letter E designates the coupler-pin carrier, which is formed as an offset on and connected with the latch-pin F, so as to move with the latter; and G indicates the coupler-pin.

The letter H designates the sliding latchplate, which has an opening, I, slightly slotted longitudinally for the passage of the latch-pin, and has constructed in it, as indicated at J, a guideway for the coupler-pin G.

The letters a c designate openings in thetop of the draw-head,for the passage of the latchpin F and the coupler-pin GQ l rlhe letter S indicates a leaf-spring, which at its lower end is attached to the sliding latchplate, as designated-at S, and at its upper end,

at S, to the draw-head l).

IOO

' of the car, near its edge.

At e there is shown a guideway formed in the draw-head, for the horizontal passage of the latch-plate when moved backward as against or forward by the elasticity of the spring S.

The letter N indicates a notch made in the vertical side ofthe latch-pin F, adapted to en- 'gage with the edge of the opening I, made in wardly-tapering bottom of the hood D? on thev draw-head D. When the entering link thus cornes in contact with the tripping-plate K,

attached to the sliding latch-plate H, it forces" the latter back against the force of the spring S, and so releases the latch-pin, when it and the connected coupling-pin carrier and coupling-pin descend by gravity, thecoupling-pin G falling within the link L to make'the connection between the ears. When the connection is thus made, the coupling-pin carrier rests on the top of the draw-head, and when the link and pin are disconnected the carrier is raisedfabove the draw-head, the last-named position of the parts being indicated at Fig. 2, and the former as shown at Fig. 1.

As thus constructed and arranged, in combination with the draw-head and draw-head hood. the latch-pim connected coupling-pin carrier, the sliding latch-plate as constructed with the spring, and vertical tripping-plate, as a sub-combination of parts, perform a specie office, due to their construction and arrangement-that of operating the pin and link to connect automatically.

To disconnect the link and pin thus connect-v ed, and with the mechanism employed to do it operated from the side of the car, the shaft T is constructedvwith bearings for it to journal in, formed in the hangers t t upon the under side The outer ends of this shaft are supplied with the' weighted crank-arms U U, and at the center of shaft' the' projecting arm W. Upon thehanger O', at O", there is centrally pivoted the lever M. The arm WV on the shaft T makes a cam engagement with the adjacent end of the lever M on its upper surface, as indicated at m2, so

i as to force it down and the opposite weighted end of this lever m upwardly, causing the latter to rise and strike the lower end of the latchpin, and thus force it and the connected coupling-pin carrier upwardly, and also the coupling-pin, and thus disconnect the latter and the link. 4 j

To operate the coupler mechanism from the top of the car, so as to disconnect the link and pin, thevertical bar B, constructed with the foot F2, is used, and arranged so that it can be moved up and down on the end face of the car in guideways, as indicatedat b b3. The foot F2 is bifurcated at the front to pass the latch-pin on each side of the latter, and placedso as to be beneath the edge of the coupling-pin'carrier, so that whenY from the top of the car the bary B is pulled upwardly the foot F2 engages with the under side of the coupling-pin carrier to raise it, the latch-pin, and coupling-pin, and thus disconnect the latter and the link. As shown at Fig. 4, the foot F2 and bar B are shown as down and the latch-pin, coupling-pin carrier, and couplingpin as raised, to better illustrate the forni of the parts.

To operate the bar B from the end and side which are pivoted to the car end at O* and to the bar B by a slotted opening and pivot, O-are, by means of their end handles, It 71, pulled down to the position indicated by the dotted line Z l, which raises the bar B and foot F2 to disconnect Ithe pin and link in the same manner as when the bar B is pulled upwardly from the top. At n a the horizontal levers connection with the bar B indicated at O Thebar B, as thus constructed and applied, can be operated to disconnect the link and pin, in connection with the coupling-pin carrier, from the top and side of the car end.

When the cranks U U are drawn down by their weighted arm ends, they are kept-in place by the crank-rests z' i. The end of the pivoted lever M, which is weighted at m', also ydrops down when the actuating shaft-arm WV ceases to engage with the upper surface of the opposite end of this lever. Weighting the end of this lever M at m serves a double purpose, in causing the weighted end to fall away from the pin when not in use, and when impelled upward to strike or tap the end of the latch-pin with a hammer impetus, to free it from any tendency to stick before pressing it upwardly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a car-coupler, 'the combination of a latch-pin constructed with a latch-notch in its side, arcoupling-pin withaI connected carrier movingrwith said latch-pin, openings in the draw-head for the passage of said latchpin and the coupling-pin, a slidinglatch-plate arranged within the draw-head, said latchplate being constructed with an opening adapted for. the passage of said latch-pin and to engage and latch into the notch in the latch-pin, l and also constructed with a guideway for the passage ofthe coupling-pin,avertical trippingplate on the end of said latch-plate opposite the link-opening in the draw-head hood, and.

a spring connecting said latch-plate with the L3 are oppositely jogged to make the slotted` `draw-head and draw-head hood, a vertical o f the car end, the horizontal levers L LL roc Signed at the city of Troy this 28th day of February, 1888.

MICHAEL KENNEDY.

Witnesses:

STANLEY M. HOLDEN, SUMNER P. HUNT. 

